Set during Punished Punisher "..." Dark stone walls, sturdy iron bars, such was the predicament a certain white-haired Justicar found herself in as she shifted weakly, hugging herself as the cold dungeon air bit into her scantily-clad form. Wearing only rags similar to the ones forced upon her during the Imprisoned incident, they did little in maintaining her body temperature. To make matters worse, those already thin rags were torn here and there courtesy of Mistress @Vermillion's blood blades and thorns used to punish the errant knight, exposing her tanned shoulders, belly, and most of her legs, just enough to preserve her modesty really. Furthermore, if one looked closer at girl's neck, one could see a peculiar contraption in the shape of a runic metal collar that dimly shone purple in a steady rhythm. One of Vermillion's collection of artifacts, this one, in particular, was designed to completely nullify the wearer's arcane powers and sap her strength, leaving Eldhi weak and helpless, dulling the once sharp Saber. Inadequately clothed, weakened, collared like a dog, and caged in a dark cell, Eldhi never looked more miserable. This was supposed to be the warrior who served as Vermillion's sword to cut down her enemies and guardian to protect her agents. Why did she do to deserve such treatment? Oh, there was a reason alright, one justified reason as Eldhi almost jeopardized the manor's secrecy. Her sloppiness led to her use of the warp game being witnessed by a Muse named @Cain Darlite, a filthy male out of all people. Yes, she deserved her punishment. --- "Nnn..." Saber groaned weakly as she held her exposed belly with one hand, a quick check on her UI revealed her Food meter was staggeringly low in addition to her nullified EN and half HP. Her Water meter was still manageable and so was her Rest meter. Any other player would just log out now but... just like before during her first visit here and eventual short-lived duel with Vermillion, they somehow disabled her Log Out menu. Eldhi was literally stuck here in the cell until her Mistress decided to release her... but when? Nothing said the previous torture session would be her last. Right now, she was starving, she needed something to eat, anything. Saber couldn't believe it but she'd actually consider eating a scurrying rat or two but, of course, Vermillion wouldn't let vermins infest her Manor. As such, even in this dark dungeon, not a single rat or bug could be seen. What now? Should she take a bite out of the stone, the metal bars, or the rags she wore? Should she bang her head until her HP go critical so someone would be forced to take care of her? Give her something, anything! "Nkuh..." Tired of just sitting in the corner, Eldhi dragged herself towards the bars of her cell, sat with her knees spread then leaned her forehead there, red eyes watching the empty corridor just outside the cell, hoping Mistress would be merciful and send someone to deliver her meal. Even a single stale bread would do... @Alphabet Chocolate
Alpha had trotted along to Vermilion Manor without a worry in sight. She'd often enjoyed relaxing on the sand dunes and such ever since she had met Magi on her spontaneous decision to host a vacation day on the beaches of Druuk Island and, considering the proximity of the manor in respect to the island, had soon opted to visit her best friend on the spur of the moment. It was a happy affair and Alpha had brought a plate of cookies she had poached from a nearby vendor in anticipation for some sort of tea party or anything along the lines of revelry. Instead, she had found something particularly despair-inducing upon stepping foot onto the well-groomed property. Shouts from a familiar voice had drowned her previous oblivious and worry-free demeanor away and replaced it with anxiety and a sense of foreboding. She hadn't quite yet managed to muster up the courage to peek and look at what had caused Vermilion's ire before the shouts had stopped. Upon closer investigation a few moments after the incident, she was face-to-face with an imprisoned, injured, and starving Eldhi. "You okay?" Alpha whispered tentatively, eyes frantically shifting back and forth in fear should Vermilion see her attend to Eldhi. Although Vermilion held her absolute loyalty and friendship above all else, even Alpha knew that she should be afraid of being on the receiving end of her wrath. She'd seen what the vampire had done to her friend Roland, after all, and the girl had spared no mercy in her initial confrontation with Eldhi and Alphabet herself. As naive as Alpha could be, she knew that she'd be in Eldhi's position should she had done anything particularly grievous to invoke her best friend's displeasure. The fact that their roles could easily be switched (alongside the knowledge that Eldhi was, perhaps, the most similar friend in terms of situation and personality among her entire list of comrades and acquaintances) made it easy for Alpha to sympathize with the girl's plight. After a brief moment of hesitation, Alpha tilted her platter so that the cookies would pass through the irons bars that caged her friend. A few crumbs had slipped and had fallen onto the cold floor but Alpha didn't pay much mind to it. She took a seat on the floor, crissed-crossed, and gave Eldhi a weak, reassuring smile. "Vermy can be a bit scary sometimes, but she means well," Alpha attempted to comfort her. Internally, she couldn't help but wonder what sort of travesty Eldhi had committed but she knew better than to ask while her friend was in such a state. "I could, uh, bring some more cookies and stuff if you want. There was this candy store on the island that sold practically everything, you know? You would love it! And don't worry. This'll be over in no time! I mean, Vermy's a bit angry right now but she means well and she's super sweet, you know? I hope she doesn't regret this later. We might have to comfort her later, you know? An-and, we'll throw a nice party and we'll get you all healed up and then we'll get Vermy all the prism shards so she won't stay mad anymore and she won't hurt you anymore, okay? I'll, uh, try to talk with her..." she stammered at the last thought as if she doubted that she herself would be able to question Vermilion's decisions right to her face. She placed her hand through the cage slowly, as if she were dealing with a scared, wounded animal. "Don't worry, Eldhi. I'll stick with you!" @Eldhi
